A Brooklyn, N.Y., affordable housing developer broke ground Tuesday on renovations of a Lewiston project that will upgrade 40 affordable apartment units at 64 Oxford St.
The upgrade, in a former 19th-century mill worker housing building called Place Sainte Marie, will be led by Sydney Capital Group Inc. under the direction of Sydney’s sole principal, Hammad Graham.
The two brick buildings were constructed in 1864 for mill worker housing and were later converted into affordable apartments ranging in size from one to three bedrooms.
Rehabilitation will turn the units into modern living spaces and add outdoor amenities such as pedestrian friendly walkways and a small playground.
The $10 million project is in full swing, said Graham.
“These buildings and their occupants deserve the uplift we are giving them and we look forward to having new and returning residents enjoy the renovations Place Sainte Marie has to offer,” Graham said.
Graham founded Sydney Capital in 2017 and has since acquired, constructed and/or renovated a number of affordable, senior affordable and workforce housing developments in New York and Massachusetts. Place Sainte Marie is the company’s first Maine project.
Brisa Builders Development LLC, a general contractor in Brooklyn, N.Y., partnered in the acquisition and remains a co-owner of the project.
Great Falls Construction in Gorham is serving as the construction manager. Platz Associates of Auburn is the architect.
Upon completion of the renovations, the Lewiston Housing Authority will continue to serve as the managing agent for the property.